By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Being the first woman to lead a caucus of the Illinois House of Representatives may be an important thing, but House Minority Leader-elect Tony McCombie (R-Savanna) says it’s not the only thing. “I was the first female mayor in Savanna, so this is not a first for me, but I…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – The renovation of the north wing of the state Capitol has pushed out the senators. Tuesday marked not only the start of the 2022 veto session; it was also the first day of a nearly 2 ½ -year stay in the adjacent Howlett Building. A deteriorating auditorium received a massive…… MORE
A bill would make the punishment for fentanyl manufacturing and distributing more severe. But it faces an uncertain fate in an environment in which supermajority Democrats are reluctant to expand penalties.… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – With the Illinois General Assembly back at the Capitol Tuesday, House Speaker Chris Welch (D-Hillside) lays out his expectation for one of the big issues, the “Safe-T Act.” A key provision of that package, which passed almost two years ago, is the end of cash bail Jan. 1. Police and…… MORE
By USDA SPRINGFIELD – There were 5.8 days suitable for field work during the week ending November 13, 2022. Statewide, the average temperature was 46.4 degrees, 3.8 degrees above normal. Precipitation averaged 0.11 inches, 0.61 inches below normal. Topsoil moisture supply was rated 11 percent very short, 17 percent short, 71 percent adequate, and 1…… MORE
By Dave Dahl (USDA) – The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service has released its November crop yield forecast. Corn: Planted area is estimated at 10.8 million acres, down 2 percent from last year. Harvested area, forecast at 10.55 million acres, is down 3 percent from 2021. Based on November 1 conditions, the Illinois corn yield…… MORE
The turnstiles continue to spin at the Capitol, even though the election’s over.… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – On his way out of leadership, House Minority Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) had some things to say that his fellow Republicans are unlikely to appreciate. “The party needs to embrace people whom they have excluded over the past 10-15 years. Those are people who take issue on same-sex marriage…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – For Republicans in Illinois and nationally, the question about election night is: where did we go wrong? Illinois GOP chairman Don Tracy is among those reviewing the game films. He says in the year and a half he has been on the job, he has learned change comes slowly. “It…… MORE
With the benefit of some sleep, Gov. JB Pritzker Wednesday took time to look back and look ahead.… MORE
By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year. It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …
By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city. Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…
By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…
Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University. We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk. Going to work every day for some people means…